As leaves change color and days continue to shorten, the upcoming holidays will be here before you know it. For folks with diabetes, this exciting and joyful time can also throw a wrench into your diabetes management. Many patients who rely on Kadie E. Leach, MD, for diabetes management ask how to juggle health and the holidays.
Every family celebrates the fall and winter holidays a bit differently. For most, however, this time of year is filled with changes to normal routines. You might be planning to travel to see loved ones or preparing your home to welcome guests. The holidays often bring a lengthy to-do list, and those tasks can easily sneak up on you as the holidays approach.
Then there are the food and drinks we all associate with holiday celebrations. Whether you’re making your grandmother’s fruitcake, attending a cookie exchange party, or throwing together a dish to take to a neighborhood celebration, the holidays can be a dietary minefield.
Sleep disruption is also common during the holiday season. Extensive research shows that quality sleep is essential in stress management, avoiding weight gain, and regulating mood. But finding ways to get enough restful sleep is not always a simple matter.
If you live with diabetes, you already know how important it is to stick with routines when it comes to monitoring blood sugar and maintaining a healthy diet. You also know how easy it is for the holidays to disrupt your normal routine.
Take the time to sit down and make a holiday-specific diabetes management plan. This might include preparing diabetes-friendly meals in advance so you have something in the freezer for nights when pizza delivery seems like the only option. You also may want to keep healthy food choices on hand so you can grab a nutritious snack instead of a holiday treat.
To prioritize sleep, your plan might include setting limits on how many gatherings you’re willing to attend or host so you can get the rest you need to thrive. Or if you normally stay up on work nights writing your Christmas cards, consider forgoing cards this year.
To decrease stress and take care of your health, there is absolutely nothing wrong with making a list of holiday traditions and examining which tasks bring you deep joy and which feel more like an obligation. For example, maybe you want to skip the annual neighborhood party and spend that time getting together with family or your closest friends.
There are specific strategies that may help boost your health during the holidays. Some examples include:
That said, it’s nearly impossible to maintain a “perfect” diet during the holidays. More importantly, the added stress of trying to achieve perfection will only get in the way of both your health and your enjoyment during the holiday season.
Give yourself the gift of grace. Try to make healthful choices when possible, and when you make the choice to indulge, do so with mindfulness that squeezes every possible drop of joy from the experience.
If you’d like help creating a more customized diabetes management plan for the holidays or throughout the year, set up a time to meet with Dr. Leach at our office in Lanham, Maryland. You can set goals and explore new medication or lifestyle management options. Visits can be scheduled online or by phone.
